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June 2014 Paraguay Match
Match Setting A friendly match, sees two teams preparing themselves for the World Cup. Just 6 days before the tournament start this is the last chance for many teams to adjust their pieces before the big tournament. Bosnia and Herzegovina arrive, to their first international competition ever, with their 23-man squad already selected, and expect to give a fight in order to qualify from a tough Group C, which pits them alongside The Netherlands, Uruguay and Australia. In the other hand, the Paraguayans participate in their 5th World Cup in a row and they were drawed in the "Death Group" alongside Italy, Portugal and Saudi Arabia. Squad The squad was announced on June 1st and consisted of 23 players, with a focus on players on non-Adriatic clubs, only Muhamed Subasic and Edin Husic play in the Adriatic Superleague. It consisted on 3 GK, 8 Defensemen (4 Fullbacks and 4 Center Backs), 8 Midfielders (2 Defensive Midfielders, 4 Central Midfielders and 2 Attacking Midfielders), and 4 Strikers. Hoffenheim and Tours FC were the most represented teams with 2 players each. The Ligue 1 was the most represented league with 5 players. No players were set to debut internationally. The squad list is after the break: 23-man Squad Missing Players Admir Ljevakovic missed the squad due to poor fitness form after recovering from a ankle injury. Zvjezdan Misimovic didn't make the WC squad due to his growing years, which have decimated his physical abilities. Tactics A small variation from the usual tactic presented Mikulic for this match. Just a small change in roles that allows better defending and a little more creativity up top. Toni Markic is now playing as a limited defender, due to his scarce ability with the ball at his feet, he also is now in charge of the stopper role. Muhamed Besic plays as a normal central defender, with the duty of covering and sweeping loose balls. Edin Dzeko is not only a classic target man right now, as he is allowed more creative duties. He plays as a complete forward. The detail of the positions and roles is in the table that follows. Result and Analysis The match ended with a 1-1 tie. Analysis In a preparation match, where both sides didn't want to risk much, a tie is always welcome. But, when your team has the ability to outplay their rival, and they still can't get a W, you don't like it much. This is what happenede here, as the Bosnians dominated the game, but were awefully imprecise in the last quarter of the pitch. The action started in the second half, at 49 minutes, when winger Iván González found a dangling ball in the box and scored on a nice volley. Bosnia and Herzegovina pushed up but struggled to beat the compact Paraguayan defense. But a nice through ball played by Edin Dzeko left Ermin Zec all alone with the keeper and he scored with a rising shot. Important Stats Possession % = 61-39 Passes Completed % = 84-72 Shots = 14-9 Clear Cut Chances = 1-0 Long Shots = 5-4 Individual Performances Iván González was the man of the match. Ermin Zec and Edin Dzeko were the best players from the Bosnian side.